Research collaboration between the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP), and the Department of Environmental Health, Medical University of Vienna, Austria, has entered its third year, focusing on the links between biodiversity, traditional medicine, community health, and conservation in the Karimunjawa Islands, Central Java.
The collaboration was strengthened through a Visiting Researcher program attended by Dr. scient.med. Fadly Husain, a lecturer at FISIP UNNES, at the Department of Environmental Health, Medical University of Vienna, from September 21 to 25, 2026. The visit was conducted at the invitation of Prof. Dr. Michael Kundi and Prof. Dr. Hans-Peter Hutter, Deputy Head of the department.
The research collaboration began in 2024 and continued in 2026 through a project titled “Ethnoconservation of Medicinal Plants and Animals in the Traditional Medicine System of the Karimunjawa Islands Community: An Anthropological Study of Health, Environment and Conservation.”
During the visit, the research team discussed field findings and prepared a manuscript for international publication. The manuscript is being developed for submission to a reputable journal indexed in Scopus and ranked in the first quartile (Q1).
The study views biological resources in Karimunjawa as more than components of biodiversity. Medicinal plants, animals, local ecological knowledge, and traditional healing practices are also part of the knowledge and health practices of local communities.
This perspective highlights the close relationship between communities and their environment. Knowledge about the use of plants and animals for medicinal purposes has developed alongside local experiences of interacting with and managing the surrounding environment.
To strengthen the medical anthropology perspective, the research also involves Dr. Inayat Ali from Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan. He is also a Research Fellow at the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Vienna.
The collaboration brings together interdisciplinary perspectives to examine health and conservation in greater depth. The combination of anthropology, environmental health, and conservation allows the research to consider not only ecological conditions but also local knowledge and practices related to the use of natural resources.
The research is also linked to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3 on Good Health and Well-being, SDG 12 on Responsible Consumption and Production, SDG 14 on Life Below Water, and SDG 15 on Life on Land.
The project is also relevant to Indonesia’s Asta Cita, particularly efforts to strengthen health resilience, support village and coastal development, and promote sustainable management of natural resources.
Through the collaboration, FISIP UNNES is expanding its international academic network while developing interdisciplinary research that connects health, culture, environment, and conservation. The collaboration is also expected to contribute to international scholarly publications and a deeper understanding of health and conservation practices in island communities.
